Kalwa hospi­tal drug store yet to clear dues

THANE: The agency that is run­ning the med­i­cal store at the Ch­ha­tra­p­ati Shivaji Hospi­tal, which is for poor and needy pa­tients, has not paid the rent, ac­cord­ing to the mem­bers of the civic stand­ing com­mit­tee.

The med­i­cal store was shut down four months ago, as the agency op­er­at­ing the store had not cleared the dues of the cor­po­ra­tion. The new agency that has come in its place, too, has not paid the rent till date, al­leged the com­mit­tee.

Vi­las Sa­mant, Shiv Sena cor­po­ra­tor, said, “The store has started merely a month ago. The agency is yet to clear the rent of Rs14 lakh. We have heard the agency op­er­at­ing the store can­not af­ford the rent and is plan­ning to move court. The cor­po­ra­tion should check the clauses of the con­tract and also put it be­fore the stand­ing com­mit­tee.”

Ra­jeev K or de, med­i­cal su­per­in­ten­dent of the Kalwa Hospi­tal, de­nied the agency plans to move court. “But it is true that they are yet to clear the dues op­er­at­ing. We will ta­ble the con­tract in the next stand­ing com­mit­tee meet­ing.”

He said if the agency does not pay the rent, it will be de­ducted from their de­posit.

The com­mit­tee has also de­manded a sep­a­rate sec­tion of generic medicines be set up at Kalwa hospi­tal for poor pa­tients.

PRA­FUL GANGURDE

The med­i­cal store in Kalwa hospi­tal was shut for three years and had re­opened last year.